Fall for Honey Presented by: Kimberly Concra, LDN Cape Cod Cooperative Extension Nutrition Education & Food Safety Program 508-375-6690 www.capecodextension.org
H O N E Y Honey contains carbs, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Heating raw honey while cooking may affect these nutrients. If possible, add honey to the recipe at the last possible moment. Ie: add honey and butter to steamed carrots as a last step. Honey is an emulsifier: great for salad dressings! Honey is hygroscopic, taking away moisture. It will draw moisture from the fruit to make your fruit salad juicy. It will also keep baked goods made with honey moist longer. Honey has cryoprotective properties. It can help protect cells of frozen items. Freeze berries, using honey as the sweetener. Honey contains water, so you may need to reduce the liquid in a recipe if substituting honey for sugar. Try to reduce the overall liquid level in the recipe by ¼ cup. Baked goods made with honey may darken. Try a baking temperature of 25 degrees less. Honey is acidic and can be used to tenderize foods like proteins. To neutralize the acidity for baked goods, add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda per 1 cup of honey used in the recipe.
To Give Spicy Pickled Carrots 4 cups - white vinegar 2-1/2 cups - honey 2 Tablespoons - pickling spice 3 lbs. - baby carrots or carrots cut into slices In a small stainless steel or enamel saucepan, bring vinegar, honey and spice to a boil, stirring to dissolve honey. Remove from heat and cover pan to keep contents hot. Pack carrots into 6 hot sterilized pint jars, filling to 1/4 inch from tops. Add honey mixture, filling to 1/4 inch from tops. Wipe rims of jars; top with lids. Screw on bands. Place jars on rack in canning kettle of hot water, adding water if necessary to bring water level to 1 inch above tops of jars. Bring water to a rolling boil; boil for 30 minutes. Remove jars carefully and cool on wire rack. Cranberry Honey Butter 1 cup butter, softened 1/3 cup finely chopped dried cranberries 1/4 cup honey 2 teaspoons grated orange peel 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt In a small bowl, beat all ingredients until blended. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Herb Infused Honey 1-2 Tablespoons dried herbs + 8 ounces of light colored honey Try: lavender, rosemary or star anise, chamomile, lemon balm, mint, sage and rose petals for a different flavor In small sterilized jars, put in the herbs then pour in the honey. Stir a few times, topping with honey if the herbs floated. Tighten lid on jar and let sit 5 days, turning jar upside down if herb are floating to top. Strain out herbs with cheesecloth and tighten lids. Note: fresh herbs are not used to minimize clostridium botulinum risk. If you use fresh herbs, dry them in a dehydrator or oven.
Cinnamon Honey Butter 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 6 Tablespoons honey 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt In a small bowl, beat all ingredients until blended. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Pumpkin Honey Bread 1 cup - honey 1/2 cup - butter or margarine, softened 1 can (16 oz.) - solid-pack pumpkin 4 - eggs 4 cups - flour 4 teaspoons - baking powder 2 teaspoons - ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons - ground ginger 1 teaspoon - baking soda 1 teaspoon - salt 1 teaspoon - ground nutmeg In large bowl, cream honey with butter until light and fluffy. Stir in pumpkin. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly incorporated. Sift together remaining ingredients. Stir into pumpkin mixture. Divide batter equally between two well-greased 9 x5 x 3-inch loaf pans. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let loaves cool in pans for 10 minutes; invert pans to remove loaves and allow to finish cooling on racks.
To Drink Fresh Honey Lemonade 1/3 to 1/2 cup honey 1 1/2 cups steaming hot water 1 cup fresh lemon juice Ice cubes for serving In a heatproof 1-quart pitcher or bowl, combine the honey and hot water and stir until the honey is dissolved. Stir in the lemon juice. Let cool for at least 10 minutes or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Pour into ice-filled glasses. Honey and Herb Soda 1/2 cup honey 1 cup water a few sprigs herbs such as thyme, mint, rosemary, basil, lemon verbena, tarragon, etc. You can mix and match as you please. Lemon Soda Water In a small sauce pan bring the honey and water to a boil. Reduce to medium-high and simmer rapidly for three minutes. Turn off the heat and add the herbs. Steep and let cool. From this point you can remove the herbs, cover and refrigerate and keep for at least two weeks. To make a glass of your herb soda add a couple of tablespoons of the honey herb syrup to a large glass. Add 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice then top with soda water. Taste and adjust sweetness/lemon to your taste. Flu Season Ginger Honey Lemon Tonic 1 cup water 1 or so ginger root, roughly chopped 1 organic lemon wedge 1 teaspoon honey, or to taste Bring the water and ginger to a boil, then lower flame, add the lemon (squeeze it into the water then drop the whole thing in) and keep at a low simmer for a few minutes. Pour into a mug and stir in the honey.
To Eat Spiced Pecan and Apple Salad 1/2 cup honey 1 teaspoon apple pie spice Generous pinch of cayenne Pinch of salt 1 cup pecan halves 1/4 cup cider vinegar 1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 6 to 8 cups assorted salad greens (such as baby spinach or arugula) 2 medium apples, cut into thin slices For the spiced pecans: Combine half of the honey with the apple pie spice, cayenne, and salt in a small bowl and mix well. Add pecan halves and stir until well coated. Spread out on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 F until honey bubbles and nuts are toasted, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool. For the vinaigrette: Combine remaining honey, apple cider vinegar, and Dijon mustard in a small jar or cruet and shake well. Add olive oil and shake vigorously until well incorporated. For the salad: Arrange salad leaves on a serving platter or divide among individual serving plates. Scatter apple splices and spiced pecans over leaves. Pour apple cider vinaigrette over salad and serve. Honey Asian Chicken Marinade 1lb skinned and deboned chicken 3 tablespoons sesame oil 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon rice vinegar 3 tablespoons water 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon black pepper In a large Ziploc bag, combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, vinegar, water, salt, chili powder, and black pepper. Add in the chicken and shake until covered. Place in refrigerator for at least 3 hours to rest. Bake at 350 F chicken for 45 minutes in the sauce until it has cooked to an internal temperature of 165 F or higher.
To Share Honey Butter Blondies 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter at room temperature 1/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup chocolate or white chocolate chips Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Start by creaming together your butter, sugar, and honey until it s nice and smooth without any clumps. Add in the egg, extract, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and beat lightly. Sift in the flour and mix again until the batter is even. Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips gently. Press the batter into a greased 8 8 baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the center has set. Cool completely before cutting in and serving. Skillet Apples with Honey 3 tablespoons of butter (use half coconut oil if desired) 3 tart apples, washed, peeled, cored and sliced 1/3 cup honey 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg Melt butter in large skillet. Add sliced apples and sautéed on medium-high 3 minutes until the apples just start to soften. Add honey and spices and stir well. Cook an additional 3 minutes until apples are tender. If desired, serve with granola sprinkled over the apples with a garnish of plain yogurt.
Cranberry Honey Drop Cookies 1 cup dried cranberries 3/4 cup honey 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 egg, beaten 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 3/4 + 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon table salt Preheat the oven to 375 F. Put the cranberries in a small bowl and cover them with very hot or boiling water. Let them sit and plump while you prepare the rest of the dough. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the honey and the softened butter. Mix in the egg and the spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cup of the flour, the baking soda, and the salt. Gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring just until no more flour is visible. Drain the cranberries. In the bowl used for the dry ingredients, toss the cranberries with 1/4 cup of flour. Fold the cranberries into the cookie dough. The dough will be fairly wet and very smooth. Drop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto a cookie sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart. The cookies will spread a little during baking. Bake 9-13 minutes, until the edges are turning golden. let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. If desired, melt a handful of dark chocolate and drizzle it over the cooled cookies. Milk and Honey Peanut Butter Balls 2 to 3 dozen balls, depending on size 1/2 cup natural unsweetened creamy peanut butter 1/3 cup honey 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut 1 cup malted milk powder (substitute regular milk powder for gluten-free version) Mix all ingredients until they form a crumbly, sticky mass. Roll into balls. Try not to eat all at once.